Steve Jobs did not just present. He staged stories that moved people to act. In our work with leaders, we see the same pattern. The most effective communicators: • Introduce a clear “villain” problem, then a “hero” solution • Build to one unforgettable “wow” moment • Structure their story around three big beats Join our LEANN Community and start designing presentations people remember, not just sit through. Visit https://lnkd.in/dzqNvqfp #StorytellingAndLeadership #SteveJobs #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutivePresence #PublicSpeaking #BusinessStorytelling #PresentationSkills
Storytelling and Leadership
Professional Training and Coaching
We help leaders tell impactful stories.
About us
We help leaders turn messages into movements. At Storytelling & Leadership (S&L), we believe the most powerful way to inspire action, build trust, and drive change is through story. We equip executives, teams, and organisations with the tools to communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact- whether you’re leading strategy rollouts, pitching to stakeholders, engaging your team, or shaping culture. Our core offerings include: • Executive coaching in storytelling and public speaking • Immersive workshops on leadership communication • E-learning programs for scalable, ongoing impact • Toolkits, templates, and AI-powered content support Grounded in behavioral science, narrative frameworks, and decades of experience working with leaders across Africa and beyond, our work transforms not just what you say- but how you’re heard. Whether you’re building alignment inside the boardroom or connection with your broader community, we help you speak in a way that moves people. Let’s make your message unforgettable.
- Website
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http://www.storytellingandleadership.com
External link for Storytelling and Leadership
- Industry
- Professional Training and Coaching
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- Johannesburg
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2020
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
Johannesburg , ZA
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Washington, DC. , US
Employees at Storytelling and Leadership
Updates
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Storytelling and Leadership reposted this
Communications and Storytelling Strategist | CEO, Africa Communications Media Group | Storytelling & Leadership | Board Director | Adjunct Professor, IE University | Advisor to Purpose-Driven Leaders | LinkedIn Top Voice
Did you know that you can put a hard value to your reputation? It is an asset and you can be deliberate about building it. The term “personal brand” has become part of our regular lexicon and it seems everyone wants one (the fact is, whether you are aware of it or not, you already have a personal brand). But another, simpler, way of thinking about your personal brand is this: it’s closely related to your reputation. A brand is what you say about yourself. Your reputation is what people say when you walk out of the room. And the latter is the part you should focus on if you want to be impactful. Whenever I host a leadership workshop around the topic of personal brand and announce to participants that despite the title of the workshop, we’re actually going to be talking about their reputation, the energy stiffens in the room. Why are we so uncomfortable with the topic of reputation? In my latest piece, I argue that your reputational equity is real, you can measure it, and you can manage it – and if you do it right, it becomes the engine that propels you towards your biggest goals. Here’s what the numbers reveal: • A CEO is directly linked to 49% of their company’s reputation, which in turn drives 44% of its market value. • The perception of a company’s top leader accounts for up to 29% of its profitability variance. Basically, reputation = influence = opportunity. If you treat reputation as passive, vague or someone else’s job, you’re leaving value on the table. But when you treat it like an asset (assessing it, tracking it, investing in it), you transform it into something powerful. In this blog, I break down a six-step framework to help you go from accidental to intentional reputation-architect: from defining your North Star to conducting a brutally honest audit, to crafting your narrative, living it, building your tribe, and staying agile. Let me know what you think! Full article: https://lnkd.in/d7iBjzUH Storytelling and Leadership Africa Communications Media Group #Reputation #Leadership #PersonalBranding #Influence #Storytelling
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#ThrowbackThursday Towards the end of last month at #ENGAGEAfrica25, Mimi Kalinda spoke to leaders and explained why strategy fails when the story behind it stays outdated. Her keynote is now on YouTube and it is the kind of content senior teams should be watching before year-end planning. Instead of repeating this year’s narrative, Mimi challenges leaders to check the story behind their numbers and shift it with evidence, empathy and intent. WATCH FULL KEYNOTE (45min) As you watch, note the story in your organisation that needs an upgrade for 2026. ▶️ Full keynote: https://lnkd.in/dtsSpBk5 Visit the S&L website and join our LEANN community to learn more about business storytelling and why it matters. #businessstorytelling #LeadershipIntelligence #StorytellingAndLeadership #MimiKalinda #EngageAfrica25 #ExecutiveLeadership #NarrativeStrategy
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Oprah Winfrey discussed the importance of storytelling in the age of AI on the NXT Chapter podcast with Bishop T.D. Jakes. She highlighted how AI will transform fields like medicine, education, entrepreneurship, and storytelling itself. Oprah emphasized the continuing power and necessity of storytelling even as AI advances, describing storytelling as a vehicle for conveying faith, courage, and intention. The conversation also touched on the mental-health challenges posed by always-on technology and the importance of intentionality in navigating these innovations. Oprah shared insights on how her own storytelling career evolved and how AI integration represents both opportunity and a new landscape for creators and leaders in storytelling to embrace thoughtfully. Key points from their discussion: • AI will profoundly impact storytelling along with other fields. • Storytelling remains essential for human connection, faith, and courage. • The mental-health cost of constant tech use must be acknowledged. • Creativity and ownership in storytelling adapt alongside technological shifts. • Oprah’s journey illustrates the power of narrative shaped by personal callings and transformation. This episode was framed as a masterclass on calling, courage, ownership and intention, with Oprah reflecting on her experiences and the new chapter of storytelling being written in the AI era. Watch the video, then ask yourself. What story is leading your decisions right now. https://lnkd.in/d6wvW6j8 Credit: NXT Chapter podcast and Bishop T.D. Jakes #StorytellingAndLeadership #AIAndHumanity #LeadershipInTheAIEra #NarrativePower #OprahWinfrey #TDJakes #HumanCenteredLeadership
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To share insight in a way that builds trust, credibility and keeps you rooted in your humanity leadership today demands the ability to translate complexity into clear communication and connection. Are you informing your teams or are you moving them? To learn more about why Storytelling & Leadership matters, join us on the LEANN community by visiting our website. #StorytellingAndLeadership #MimiKalinda #EngageAfrica25 #LeadershipDevelopment #DataStorytelling #HumanCenteredLeadership #ExecutiveCommunication
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Storytelling and Leadership reposted this
Chief Executive: SA Champions Network™ | Co-creating the Global Opportunities MAP for Talent | SAP Partner Coach | FIFA World Cup™ & Formula One™ Legacy Advisor | Co-author: The CEO Mindset | ex adidas Brand Ambassador
"Your people are extraordinary." A German delegate told me after the G20 session. "I've attended summits on six continents. I've never experienced warmth like this." She wasn't talking about our weather. The #Hospitality Paradox Having coached leaders across five continents through cultural transformations, I know hospitality can be performed. But what G20 delegates are experiencing in South Africa can't be taught in a customer service manual. A Japanese delegate had this to say: "Your security guards smile while being vigilant. Your drivers share stories while navigating. Everyone — from the protocol officers to the coffee vendors — treats us like welcomed family, not foreign dignitaries." Think about that. We're hosting world leaders during economic uncertainty and political complexity. Yet our people are radiating warmth that money can't buy. The Ubuntu #Advantage One trade representative put it perfectly: "In othercountries, hospitality is a transaction. Here, it feels like a tradition." She's right. Our hospitality isn't trained — it's inherited. Passed down through generations who understood that a stranger at your door might be tomorrow's blessing. That treating visitors with dignity costs nothing but creates everything. While other nations deploy armies of consultants to design "visitor experiences," we simply deploy ourselves. The Competitive #Edge Nobody Measures A French delegate shared something profound: "We came to discuss economic frameworks. But what we'll remember is how your people made us feel. That's not soft power — that's real power." Every taxi driver who asked about their families. Every security officer who learned their names. Every cleaner who greeted them in their language. These weren't scripted interactions. They were South Africans being South Africans. In a world where AI can replicate everything except authentic human connection, we have the ultimate differentiator: People who give warmth without expecting returns. The #Talent Truth Right now, global companies are spending billions on "employee engagement" and "customer experience design." Meanwhile, we're naturally producing professionals who understand that excellence isn't just about what you deliver — it's about how you make people feel while delivering it. This G20 isn't just showcasing our conference facilities or our infrastructure. It's revealing our superpower: The ability to make the world feel at home in Africa. Your #Strategic Question While everyone's focused on digital transformation and AI integration, what if the next competitive frontier is human connection? What if the warmth your team naturally possesses is worth more than any technology you could acquire? Because this weekend, the world's most powerful people aren't talking about our GDP or our credit ratings. They're talking about our people. And that's a currency no economy can print. 🇿🇦
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Storytelling and Leadership reposted this
Uber's first-ever holiday ad reminds us "There Are Drivers In Your Area" with a moving story about a father-daughter relationship, set to James Blake’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”. Made by Mother with MJZ, Sailor Productions, Work Editorial, 1920, King Lear Music & Sound, Theodore.
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Human centered leadership is not a nice to have in the age of AI. It is the differentiator. CEO Times recently profiled our CEO, Mimi Kalinda, for the way she helps leaders navigate an AI driven world without losing the human beings at the center of every decision. From boardrooms to frontline teams, Mimi’s work is a reminder that technology can scale efficiency, but only stories scale trust, culture and influence. If you are leading through complexity, this is essential reading. 👉 Read the full feature: https://lnkd.in/dQ2CSay5 👉 Follow Storytelling and Leadership for more on narrative strategy, reputation and leadership in the AI era. #StorytellingAndLeadership #HumanCenteredLeadership #AILeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #NarrativeStrategy #ReputationManagement #FutureOfWork
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Storytelling and Leadership reposted this
Communications and Storytelling Strategist | CEO, Africa Communications Media Group | Storytelling & Leadership | Board Director | Adjunct Professor, IE University | Advisor to Purpose-Driven Leaders | LinkedIn Top Voice
Last week, two extraordinary African women, Lupita Nyong’o and Angélique Kidjo, sat down in conversation to mark 25 years of Inside Africa, and what unfolded was a masterclass in agency, identity, and the power of choosing your own narrative. Lupita spoke about her breakout role in 12 Years a Slave with a humility that belies its global impact. She called it a blessing, not just because it earned her an Academy Award, but because it forced the world to see an African woman in her full humanity. And yet, in the most predictable and depressingly typical turn, she revealed that many of the roles she was offered after her Oscar win were… more slave roles. As though an African woman with dark skin could only settle for her womanhood being understood through trauma. That moment, that narrowing of imagination, is exactly what she refused to accept. She spoke candidly about the roles she refused, the tropes she would not accept and the expectations she quietly pushed back against. Because visibility without dignity is not progress and representation without depth is not liberation. From the disbelief of sudden global fame to what she describes as becoming a “joyful warrior,” Lupita revealed how intentional she has been about the spaces she occupies. She has chosen roles that affirm complexity, beauty, power, and history and, in doing so, she is reshaping how the world sees Africans, especially African women. Angélique Kidjo, a legend in her own right, held the conversation with the grace of someone who has spent her life challenging narrow narratives. Their exchange was warm, fierce, and deeply affirming: two women from different corners of the continent reflecting on how far we’ve come, and the work still ahead. And woven through that conversation were three lessons worth carrying: 1. Guard your identity fiercely. If you don’t define who you are, the world will happily define it for you and often in the smallest way possible. 2. Choose dignity over visibility. Not every opportunity is progress. Sometimes saying no is the most powerful act of self-respect. 3. Tell your own story before someone else tells it for you. Narrative power is real. Lupita’s career is proof of what happens when you take authorship of your life. At a time when Africa’s stories are still too often flattened, erased, or sensationalised, this conversation was a reminder that we are not waiting for the world to define us. We are defining ourselves. And doing it strategically, #AfricanConversations #Superstars #Dignity #Narrative #Africa
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A SaaS GM was drowning in too many segments. Every week brought new priorities, new fires, new churn signals. Then she made one bold decision. She focused on the customers she could serve exceptionally well. The noise dropped. Her positioning sharpened. MRR steadied. Escalations slowed to a trickle. Learn how leaders create clarity. Join the LEANN community. Visit https://lnkd.in/eTkN8GyF #Leadership #CustomerSuccess #TalentDevelopment #OperationalExcellence #StorytellingLeadership #Consistency #LEANNCommunity
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